Laura rubbed her arms and winced as she touched the upper part of her left
arm. She pulled back her sleeve revealing four perfect fingerprints.
"Wonderful," she muttered. Surely, Thomas Jay hadn't mean to grab her that hard. They hadn't even been fighting when it happened. But, regardless if he meant to do it or not, there they were and she was going to have to hide them until they faded. Long sleeves. As if it wasn't hot enough. She sighed. It couldn't be helped. If her daddy saw them, he would throw a fit, and probably blame her mother, and she didn't need the drama right now.
She jumped when the phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Hey, baby," Thomas's voice replied. "What are you doing?"
"Hey. Homework."
"I miss you."
She laughed. "Thomas Jay, you saw me not five hours ago."
"I know. I still miss you though," he said, softly. "Can I come see you?"
"Tonight?"
"Yeah."
"No, baby, my daddy's not here," she answered.
"So? I mean, that's good, ain't it?"
"No, not good. I'm not allowed to have company, especially company of the opposite sex over when he's not here, unless given permission beforehand."
"But, if he's not there, then how's he gonna know?" Thomas persisted.
"Trust me, he would find out," she replied. "Mrs. Kravitz, my way too nosey neighbor, would see you, then call the station and tell Parker who would not only tell daddy but everyone else around, too."
"I just want to see you. Don't you want to see me?"
"Of course I do, but I'm not going to let you come over tonight. I'd get in trouble and be grounded all weekend."
"Okay, if you really don't want to see me," he replied.
"Tom, it's not that," she tried to say.
"I got to go, Laura. My mom's calling me. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Okay, baby, I'm sorry."
"Don't worry about it. Love you. Bye." He hung up before she could even say good-bye to him.
She sighed and hung up the phone. Sometimes Thomas Jay made her feel so bad.
She didn't have time to think about it long before the phone rang again.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Sweetheart, this is Dee, from the station. Your dad asked me to call and check on you."
Laura smiled. "Hi, Ms. Dee. Tell him, I am fine, just like I was fine the last time he worked this shift, and the time before that, and the time before that, all the way back to the first time he let me stay here alone. Tell him not to worry about my safety because he is being highly neurotic and is in danger of developing an obsessive compulsive behavior."
Dee was laughing on her end of the phone. She didn't know where Laura got half the stuff she said, or how she managed to say it with no humor in it while the person she was talking to was cracking up, but a phone call to Laura Jamison never yielded 'yes ma'am/no ma'am' answers. "Okay, honey, I'll tell him you're fine, but I'm not going to tell him to quit worrying about you. He's your daddy, he's supposed to worry about you."
"But you will tell him he's being highly neurotic about my safety?"
"Yes, I'll tell him you said he was being highly neurotic."
"Good, then he'll believe you actually call me. Only I would say something like that." She giggled.
"Goodnight, Laura." Dee smiled.
"Goodnight." She hung up the phone.
Dee walked over to the dispatcher's desk and picked up the microphone. "Jamison?"
"Yeah?" Came his reply.
"Laura says she's fine. She's also says you are being highly neurotic about her safety and are in danger of developing an obsessive compulsive behavior but the main thing is she's fine."
"That sounds like something she'd say," Lonnie replied. "Thanks, Dee."
"No problem." Dee was still tickled as she went back to her paperwork.
When Lonnie got home, Laura was asleep. He crossed the room, to go over to the bed, and smiled to himself. Then he took her headphones and glasses off her and laid them on the bedside table, then put the book she was reading on the table as well.
"Goodnight, Baby." He kissed her cheek.
"Night, Daddy," she mumbled, not really awake. "I love you."
"I love you, too, Laura Leighanne, even if I am highly neurotic about it." He turned out the light as he left the room.
"Wonderful," she muttered. Surely, Thomas Jay hadn't mean to grab her that hard. They hadn't even been fighting when it happened. But, regardless if he meant to do it or not, there they were and she was going to have to hide them until they faded. Long sleeves. As if it wasn't hot enough. She sighed. It couldn't be helped. If her daddy saw them, he would throw a fit, and probably blame her mother, and she didn't need the drama right now.
She jumped when the phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Hey, baby," Thomas's voice replied. "What are you doing?"
"Hey. Homework."
"I miss you."
She laughed. "Thomas Jay, you saw me not five hours ago."
"I know. I still miss you though," he said, softly. "Can I come see you?"
"Tonight?"
"Yeah."
"No, baby, my daddy's not here," she answered.
"So? I mean, that's good, ain't it?"
"No, not good. I'm not allowed to have company, especially company of the opposite sex over when he's not here, unless given permission beforehand."
"But, if he's not there, then how's he gonna know?" Thomas persisted.
"Trust me, he would find out," she replied. "Mrs. Kravitz, my way too nosey neighbor, would see you, then call the station and tell Parker who would not only tell daddy but everyone else around, too."
"I just want to see you. Don't you want to see me?"
"Of course I do, but I'm not going to let you come over tonight. I'd get in trouble and be grounded all weekend."
"Okay, if you really don't want to see me," he replied.
"Tom, it's not that," she tried to say.
"I got to go, Laura. My mom's calling me. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Okay, baby, I'm sorry."
"Don't worry about it. Love you. Bye." He hung up before she could even say good-bye to him.
She sighed and hung up the phone. Sometimes Thomas Jay made her feel so bad.
She didn't have time to think about it long before the phone rang again.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Sweetheart, this is Dee, from the station. Your dad asked me to call and check on you."
Laura smiled. "Hi, Ms. Dee. Tell him, I am fine, just like I was fine the last time he worked this shift, and the time before that, and the time before that, all the way back to the first time he let me stay here alone. Tell him not to worry about my safety because he is being highly neurotic and is in danger of developing an obsessive compulsive behavior."
Dee was laughing on her end of the phone. She didn't know where Laura got half the stuff she said, or how she managed to say it with no humor in it while the person she was talking to was cracking up, but a phone call to Laura Jamison never yielded 'yes ma'am/no ma'am' answers. "Okay, honey, I'll tell him you're fine, but I'm not going to tell him to quit worrying about you. He's your daddy, he's supposed to worry about you."
"But you will tell him he's being highly neurotic about my safety?"
"Yes, I'll tell him you said he was being highly neurotic."
"Good, then he'll believe you actually call me. Only I would say something like that." She giggled.
"Goodnight, Laura." Dee smiled.
"Goodnight." She hung up the phone.
Dee walked over to the dispatcher's desk and picked up the microphone. "Jamison?"
"Yeah?" Came his reply.
"Laura says she's fine. She's also says you are being highly neurotic about her safety and are in danger of developing an obsessive compulsive behavior but the main thing is she's fine."
"That sounds like something she'd say," Lonnie replied. "Thanks, Dee."
"No problem." Dee was still tickled as she went back to her paperwork.
When Lonnie got home, Laura was asleep. He crossed the room, to go over to the bed, and smiled to himself. Then he took her headphones and glasses off her and laid them on the bedside table, then put the book she was reading on the table as well.
"Goodnight, Baby." He kissed her cheek.
"Night, Daddy," she mumbled, not really awake. "I love you."
"I love you, too, Laura Leighanne, even if I am highly neurotic about it." He turned out the light as he left the room.